As we go through the trials of life, we often wonder where God is; it seems that He has forsaken us. The evil and the wickedness of the world seem to overcome us. As we look at our text (Psalms 7:6-17), especially verses 10-11, “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. (11) God judgeth the righteous (or is a righteous judge), and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
Then please read what God will do (verses 12-16) and then note what we will do as God completes His Will on the wicked (verse 17), “I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.”
Our prayer is in verse 6, “Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.” And we also pray as in (Psalms 142:6-7), “Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. (7) Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.” And yet David prayed (Psalms 143:1-2, especially note verse 2), “And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.”
So it is not that any of us have not sin; we all have sin. And without Christ paying our sin debt at Calvary, none of us could stand God’s Judgment of Wrath against sin. So what every person needs is God’s Mercy. We petition God to judge what is truth, as to actions, words, and motives. David said in Psalms 7:8-11:
“The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. (9) Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. (10) My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. (11) God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
No one is perfect and without sin. But as Christians, we submit our lives, our words, and our actions to God’s Judgment. As trials descend on us, we at first wonder if God has left us. But no, just the opposite; God is proving us. He is proving that Christ lives in us; that we are His children. He has ordained, appointed, this trial of our faith, to re-mould us, re-make us, re-shape us, re-tool us, and rejuvenate us by His Spirit. He is preparing us for the task that He has planned and purposed for us to do in His Kingdom’s Service. Yes, His rod is for our good; it shows us that He loves us; that we needed to be more conformed to His Image to complete the task before us. Yes, it will exercise us and yield that peaceable fruit of Righteousness (Hebrews 12:5-11).
We thank God for loving us and for calling us to His Service. Yes, we needed to be changed. And God has and is changing us. Yes, we were walking in sin; our eyes were not single eyed to Him. We needed to be brought to our true love, Jesus Christ. And God is doing this. His fires of tribulation are burning out the dross, purifying us into a precious metal.
So when we are in the midst of our trial, instead of questioning God and wondering if He has left us, let us Thank Him for considering us worthy. Let us have a Renewed Hope, knowing that “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.”
(This devotional was previously posted on October 25, 2010.)
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